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Chandra Sapkota
Chandra Madhukar Sapkota (Nepali: चन्द्र मधुकर सापकोटा; October 17, 1919 - July 6, 1998) was a Nepalese-British Gurkha soldier who served in World War II, the Malayan Emergency, and the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation. Early life and family Sapkota was born in 1919 in the small village of Chitre in Ghandaki Province in Nepal. His family were rice farmers, Hindus of Magar extraction. During the period of urbanization in the 1930s, Chandra Sapkota travelled to the city of Pokhara, where he planned to make a living in the hemp production industry and send the extra money to his family. He began to hear stories from Gurkha veterans of the First World War, and he became inspired to become a Gurkha himself. In addition, he was dissatisfied with his job and the meagre amount of pay it brought. He enlisted at a local Gurkha recruiting station in August 1938, becoming a rifleman in the British Indian Army. Military service World War II After training near Kathmandu, Rifleman Sapkota was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles). He was deployed in late 1938 to India's North-West Frontier, where raiders from the local Pashtun tribes had been making problems for the British Indian authorities. By the time Sapkota was deployed, however, much of the fighting had died down and he only saw occasional action against the tribesmen. In 1939, a new development saw Nazi Germany join in a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, so the Gurkhas on the frontier were kept on alert in the case of a Soviet invasion of India. Sapkota was promoted to Lance Naik for his good service and conduct during this time. Sapkota remained in garrison duty on the frontier until November 1940, when the 2nd Gurkhas was assigned to the 18th Indian Infantry Brigade of the 8th Indian Infantry Division, and deployed to Middle East for reserve and security duties where Sapkota was promoted to full Naik. The 18th Brigade landed at Basra in Iraq in July 1941, shortly after the British had invaded and occupied the country. The next target for the British was neighboring Iran, where there were presumed to be thousands of German agents in the country. In August 1941 the Allies commenced their invasion of Iran. Naik Sapkota and the rest of the 18th Brigade crossed into Persian territory from Basra, advancing towards Qasr Sheikh and crossing the Shatt-al-Arab River, defeating scattered resistance from the Iranians. The brigade took Khorramshahr the next day, with Sapkota and the Gurkhas also assisting in the capture of the city of Abadan. The plan was to take the heavily-defended city of Ahvaz and then drive through the Zagros Mountains to Qazvin, but the Iranians surrendered before the attack was made. Sapkota and his men remained in Persia until October, when the 8th Division converged in Kirkuk, Iraq. There, they undertook guard duties on the oil fields until April 1942, when the 2nd Gurkha Rifles was transferred to Cyprus. Now a part of the 7th Indian Infantry Brigade, 4th Indian Infantry Division, Sapkota, now a Havildar, was sent with the brigade from Cyprus to the Middle East in October 1942. The Allied forces in the Western Desert, who had been retreating throughout the year, made a stand and counterattacked at the Second Battle of El Alamein, where Havildar Sapkota saw his first action against the Germans and Italians. He and his men were part of a diversionary attack farther south of the main thrust, with Sapkota taking part in two limited yet fierce attacks on Ruweisat Ridge. With the counteroffensive in full swing, the Allies began to chase the withdrawing Axis forces out of Egypt and into Libya. Havildar Sapkota and his men drove through Libya, meeting scattered Italian and German resistance. By early 1943, the 7th Brigade was reunited with the 4th Division and prepared to push into Tunisia. In March, the British forces ran up against the main Axis defensive line, and attacked in Operation Pugilist, beginning the Battle of the Mareth Line. Sapkota and the Gurkhas made a successful night attack on Tallouf near the end of the month, driving the enemy from their positions. Pushing through Oudref further into Tunisia, the 4th Division met the next obstacle in April. At the Battle of Wadi Akarit, Havildar Sapkota led his men in a daring night attack which took the Fatnassa heights as well as two crucial mountain passes from the Italians and Germans, allowing the main British attack to proceed successfully, before repulsing several Axis counterattacks. This was the beginning of the end of the campaign in North Africa, as throughout April and into May, the Allies began to push the Axis back into their last strongholds on the continent. Sapkota took part in a failed attack on Enfidaville, before launching another one that successfully captured the town from its defenders, before pushing on to Tunis and successfully liberating all of North Africa. Havildar Sapkota and the 4th Indian Division remained in the Middle East for the rest of 1943, but in January 1944 were sent to join the ongoing campaign in Italy. The 4th Division was soon committed to the Battle of Monte Cassino, a fight to capture the linchpin of the German Winter Line. In the second attack, Operation Avenger, in February 1944, Sapkota led his men in an attack on the abbey, fighting tenaciously to hold an untenable position, resulting in heavy casualties. After withdrawing, the Gurkhas took part in the second assault in March, successfully capturing and holding Hangman's Hill in fierce close quarters combat. However, as the position became increasingly isolated, Sapkota and the Gurkhas were again forced to withdraw. Monte Cassino would not be taken until May. In July 1944, Sapkota received his new orders. He was given a Viceroy's Commission as a Jemadar and transferred to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles, part of the 43rd Independent Gurkha Infantry Brigade in the 1st Armoured Division. The 43rd Brigade went into the line in August 1944, advancing to Senigallia and Castellone by September for the assault on the Gothic Line, Operation Olive. They crossed the Conca River, attacking between St. Savino and Passano and driving the Germans back. Jemadar Sapkota led his men in the capture of St. Clemente ridge and shortly after pushed the Germans out of Passano. After crossing the Marano River, the Gurkhas took Case il Monte. At this time, the 1st Armoured was sent to a different part of the line, and so the Gurkhas became temporarily part of the 56th (London) Infantry Division in October before being permanently transferred to the 10th Indian Infantry Division. Sapkota and his men took the left flank of Monte Farneta north of Montecodruzzo, capturing Monte Chicco from the Germans in fierce fighting. In December 1944, the Gurkhas of the 43rd Brigade and the rest of the 10th Division launched two diversionary attacks on Faenza to allow the rest of the Allied forces to advance, eventually capturing it during an assault over the Lamone River. With Faenza secure, the Gurkhas dug in to wait out the winter. Jemadar Sapkota and his men resumed the attack in April 1945 in Operation Grapeshot, the final assault in Italy. Attacking in concert with other Allied units, Sapkota and his Gurkhas crossed the Santero River and then the Sillaro River, after which they wrestled the town of Medicina from the entrenched German defenders, before the 43rd Brigade went on to cross the Santerno River under heavy fire. The 43rd Brigade crossed the Gaiana River and attacked left of the Medicina-Budrio Railway. Crossing the River Po, Jemadar Sapkota and his men crossed the Adige River and advanced up the Piacenza-Este Road west of Route 16, taking Padua by the end of the month. In May 1945, a ceasefire was agreed to on the Italian peninsula, followed closely by the end of the war in Europe as Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally. After occupation duties in the north of the country along the border with Yugoslavia, Sapkota returned home to Nepal. Malayan Emergency With the independence of India in 1947, the British Indian Army was dissolved and its regiments split between India and Pakistan. Similarly, the Gurkhas were given a choice between continuing in British service or joining the new Indian Army. Sapkota chose to join the British Army, and in 1947 he transferred back to his old unit, 1/2 Gurkha Rifles, and took the rank of Warrant Officer. Also in that year, he was deployed along with the regiment to Singapore, where unrest had been brewing in nearby Malaya for some time. In June 1948, the Malayan National Liberation Army began an armed insurrection against the British and Malayan authorities. In August, Warrant Officer Sapkota and the Gurkhas were deployed to Johore State in Malaya, setting up outside the state capital of Johore Bahru, beginning operations immediately. Including protecting local installations and civilian infrastructure, Sapkota and his men launched offensive operations, flushing guerrillas out of their hiding places and finishing them in the open. It was not easy, as the MNLA had a large support base among the ethnic Chinese population. Soon enough, the Gurkhas proved their worth as some of the most capable troops the British had in combatting the insurgency. These operations continued throughout Johore State for the next decade, and although Sapkota and the Gurkhas saw limited success, the Communist forces still held sway over a sizeable portion of the Chinese Malay population. In December 1950, 1/2 Gurkhas was placed under the command of the 26th Gurkha Infantry Brigade, then based in Kluang. Over the next few years, Sapkota and his men continued combat operations but also looked to separate the MNLA guerrillas from the civilian population, thereby cutting them off from a major source of supply. These methods began to tell, and soon the Gurkhas were hitting the insurgents directly at their base camps from Bidor in Perak State to the north to Kuala Pilah in Negeri Sembilan in the south. In 1952 the 26th Brigade came under the command of the 17th Gurkha Division. 1/2 Gurkhas were again transferred in March 1953 to the 99th Gurkha Infantry Brigade, traveling from Kuala Pilah back to Johore Bahru. For the next few years the British forces stepped up their operations, and following the 1955 offer of amnesty, the guerrillas' numbers began to seriously dwindle. From 1957 onward, the emergency began to die down. Warrant Officer Sapkota was present in 1958 for the surrender of a major MNLA cell at Telok Anson. After this, most of the remaining MNLA insurgents fled across the border to Thailand, and the emergency was officially declared over in 1960. After some limited security duties, Sapkota and the rest 1/2 Gurkhas were transferred to Hong Kong, joining the 48th Gurkha Infantry Brigade. Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation The Gurkhas' peacetime service in Hong Kong was abruptly cut short in December 1962, when in Brunei on the island of Borneo, the North Kalimantan National Army, an Indonesian-backed militia group, staged a revolt and began attacking police installations and oil fields. At short notice, Warrant Officer Sapkota and his men rapidly deployed to Brunei. After landing, Sapkota led the advance into Brunei, gradually pushing back the TNKU rebels in a series of sharp actions. As the British received more reinforcements and the rebellion disintegrated, the Gurkhas were able to help take back the oil town of Seria from the rebels. Sapkota and 1/2 Gurkhas stayed in Brunei to help mop up until January 1963, when they were replaced. By February, Sapkota and the Gurkhas were back in Johore in Malaya, again with the 99th Brigade. However, it was not long before a new crisis would require their attention. Indonesia had recently begun infiltratiting Malaysian territory with small groups of commandos, with the objective of provoking a Communist revolt throughout the country. The Gurkhas stood by in Johore to respond to a threat if one came. During this time, Sapkota was awarded a Queen's Gurkha commission and became a lieutenant. In August 1963, Lieutenant Sapkota and his men were redeployed to the island of Borneo, where the border between Malaysia and Indonesia was most active. Their first mission came in September, when a sizeable Indonesian force invaded Sarawak and attacked the Commonwealth forces at the Battle of Long Jawai. Sapkota and his men responded rapidly and airlifted to the battle zone, attacking and ambushing the retreating Indonesians until almost all of the bandits had been accounted for. Later in December, they also took part in mopping up operations against an enemy incursion near Kalabakan and Tawau, preventing the Indonesians from taking either. 1/2 Gurkhas were given a break back in mainland Malaysia in October before being rotated back in December. 1964 saw an intensification of the conflict, and Sapkota's Gurkhas had to contend with even more frequent attacks from their base in the western part of the country. However, also in 1964, Operation Claret was authorized, allowing Commonwealth forces to conduct incursions of their own against the Indonesians on their side of the border. With this, Sapkota led a number of cross-border raids, conducting ambushes and doing general damage to the Indonesian forces. By the end of the year, enemy forces were reported as massing at the border for an eventual attack. Indonesian attacks and Claret counterattacks by the Commonwealth forces occurred with increased frequency throughout 1965, and Sapkota's men repeatedly frustrated the enemy's incursion attempts. However, during the latter part of the year, Commonwealth reinforcements led to a drawdown of Indonesian strength on Borneo. In August, Lieutenant Sapkota and 1/2 Gurkhas were transferred to the central area of the country as a part of the 51st Gurkha Infantry Brigade. From there, raids and attacks on both sides decreased, until 1/2 Gurkhas were relieved from Borneo early the next year. By mid 1966, Allied successes and a shakeup in Indonesia's leadership reduced the conflict, until the August peace agreement ended the undeclared war. Hong Kong service and retirement After their service confrontation, Sapkota and the Gurkhas were rotated back to the Malay peninsula, where Sapkota was promoted to captain for his efforts. After this, 1/2 Gurkhas returned to their base in Hong Kong, where they were stationed permanently. In April 1966, discontentment with British colonial rule led to large scale protests turned riots in Hong Kong. Captain Sapkota and his men were called to action to suppress the riots, which they did with great efficiency, controlling crowds, arresting looters, and enforcing the curfew. The next year, even more violent and politically-charged riots broke out, with PRC-backed Communists attacking police stations and planting bombs on the streets. Sapkota and the Gurkhas went into action to help the police, cracking down on the rioters and occasionally coming into contact with Communist paramilitaries such as the People's Militia. It was not until October 1967 that the riots stopped and the bombings subsided. In June 1972, after 34 years of service, Captain Chandra Sapkota officially retired. Later life After retiring, Sapkota returned to his home in Chitre in Nepal. In 1987, Chandra Sapkota moved with his wife Bhawana Darji to the United Kingdom, settling in London. The move was primarily made for his increasing health complications and lack of suitable facilities in Nepal. His emigration was made possible by old comrades from the British Army who chipped in to help. He lived in Hounslow Borough in London until his death in 1998. In 1982, he was one of a number of former Gurkhas who briefly addressed the 1st Battalion, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles before they deployed to the Falkland Islands in the Falklands War. Views As a Gurkha soldier, Sapkota did not consider international or domestic politics as his area of expertise and generally stayed out. However, he was active on the issue of rights for former Gurkha soldiers. As a member of the British Gurkha Welfare Society, Chandra Sapkota vehemently argued for retired Gurkhas to recieve full British Army pensions instead of reduced ones, as well as for the right of former Gurkhas to gain British citizenship. Accordingly, he donated much of his money to the Gurkha Welfare Trust. After his death, his sons Shyamsundar and Akshay carried on his legacy and took up activism themselves. Sapkota was a devout Hindu and was cremated accordingly after his death. His ashes remain in the care of his family. Evaluation In terms of temperament, Sapkota was known as mostly quiet, but cheerful and always deferential, and much smarter than his British superiors often gave him credit for. He was well liked by British and Nepali soldiers alike, and considered very reliable. As a soldier and junior officer, Sapkota, having climbed the Himalayas extensively in his youth, was well versed in mountain terrain, a skill which benefitted him during the mountain fighting of the North African and Italian campaigns. Equipment During the campaigns in North Africa and Italy in World War II, Sapkota used the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III bolt-action rifle as his primary weapon. He carried an Enfield No.2 Mk I* revolver as well as the Mills Bomb M36 fragmentation grenade. He also used these weapons in the Malayan Emergency. In Malaysia, Borneo, and Hong Kong, Sapkota carried an L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, an L9A1 Browning Hi-Power pistol, and the M26 grenade fragmentation grenade. One of Sapkota's favorite weapons was the traditional Gurkha kukri curved knife, which he used to great effect throughout the entirety of his service. His kukri is presently in the care of his family.Category:Soldiers in World War II Category:Soldiers in the Malayan Emergency Category:Nepalese soldiers Category:British Commonwealth soldiers Category:Gurkhas Category:Soldiers in the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation